Critical Mineral Resources plc (CMR) is excited to unveil the initial assay results from its ongoing drilling programme at Agadir Melloul, which is set for completion in 2026. With the onset of favorable weather conditions, drilling operations accelerated through February and March, achieving an impressive rate of approximately 1,200 meters per month. This fully funded drill programme is on track to produce a maiden resource estimate by the third quarter of 2026, allowing stakeholders to anticipate significant advancements in the project.
Consistent Copper Mineralisation Highlights
The assay results released today showcase substantial copper mineralisation, featuring zones with remarkable thickness and high copper grades. Notably, some drill intercepts have recorded an average true width of around 5 meters, significantly surpassing the company's target average width of 2 meters. These near-surface, high-grade results indicate promising potential for open-pittable mining within this extensive deposit.
The highlights of the current results are particularly noteworthy, including:
- 5.0 meters at 1.20% copper, 0.77 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, and 1.4 g/t silver from a depth of 24 meters.
- 3.7 meters at 1.76% copper and 8.6 g/t silver from 6.3 meters.
- 4.0 meters at 1.20% copper and 0.9 g/t silver from 18 meters.
As the company continues to delineate sediment-hosted mineralisation rapidly, it aims to publish its Maiden Resource Estimate during the third quarter of 2026. Currently, less than 3% of the project area has been drilled, highlighting the significant growth potential available. Management maintains a medium-term exploration target of 25 million tonnes, suggesting that the project could yield substantial returns once fully explored.
Future Plans and Development Timeline
CEO Charlie Long expressed optimism regarding the drill results, indicating that the findings affirm a coherent, shallow copper system with promising widths and grades that align with an open-pit mining scenario. He noted that several intercepts exceeded initial thickness expectations, which could positively influence potential mining inventory and economic viability. The team’s immediate focus will be on systematically extending these zones ahead of the Maiden Resource Estimate while also undertaking metallurgical work to validate processing assumptions.
In terms of the development timeline, the company has outlined several key milestones: metallurgical testwork and process flowsheet development are expected between May and July 2026, with an Environmental Impact Assessment for the processing plant submitted by August 2026. The Maiden JORC Mineral Resource Estimate is targeted for September 2026, followed by mine planning and production scheduling studies in October and November 2026. A definitive feasibility study is anticipated to be completed by December 2026, subject to regulatory timelines.
As reported by investingnews.com.
